LEESBURG, Fla. — As vaccines roll out across Central Florida, it’s an all-hands-on-deck effort.

But one Everyday Hero is going above and beyond, volunteering for dozens of hours a week to make sure those in Lake County get the shots they need.

If you’ve been to the COVID-19 Vaccination Site at the Lake Square Mall in Leesburg, you’ve likely crossed paths with Nathan Focht.

“In the number of days I’ve worked, I would assume I’ve looked at 30,000 to 40,000 faces,” Focht said.

But he doesn’t actually work there, Focht is a volunteer. While he doesn’t administer vaccines, what he does is just as important.

“I’m helping people make sure they have paperwork they need, that they’ve got the appointment, that it is ready to run smoothly when they get in the front door,” Focht said.

Focht has worked at the state-supported vaccination site for close to 40 hours a week for the past two months, after Lake County leaders made a call for help. He does this all on top of his day job.

“I own a software company and a small farm and I work from home, so COVID has not really affected my life personally. And so I just felt it was a good way to give back, to do something to help,” Focht said.

While the days are long, he said it is all worth it. 

“I’ve had people shake my hand and cry that they are actually getting in to get their shot, you know," Focht said. "Those kind of things are what make it worth it, when you see that you helped somebody that really, really needed the shot.”

His efforts mean a lot to people like Sadie McGrath, who Focht helped check in ahead of her appointment.

“It was easy, and I was happy to get it,” McGrath said. 

But Focht doesn’t consider himself a hero. Instead, just someone doing his part.

“If every one of us made one person’s day better, we’d be in a much better place in the world," Focht said.

He plans to volunteer for as long as he is needed.

“We’ve got a lot of people. We are servicing three counties basically," Focht said. "We are close to The Villages, so we are getting many, many people from multiple counties that are coming here. So I think it is going to be a while before our demand slows down.” 

He said he hopes others feel inspired to do the same.

“Show up, even if it is two days or three days, call the county, email the county, show up and volunteer,” Focht said.​

If you would like to join in on this volunteer effort, you can find the application here.